Green Party’s May gaining ground on Lunn in Saanich-Gulf Islands, poll suggests

Kim Westad | View Story | Times Colonist
September 3, 2010

A poll commissioned by the Green party puts national leader Elizabeth May within striking distance of Conservative MP Gary Lunn in the Saanich-Gulf Islands riding.

A key question was: If a federal election were held tomorrow, which candidate would you be inclined to vote for?

Of the voters who have decided and say they are definitely voting, 34 per cent said they’ll support Lunn and 32 per cent will back May. Liberal candidate Renee Hetherington and NDP candidate Edith Loring-Kuhanga each received 17 per cent.

May, who moved to the riding a year ago to take on incumbent Lunn in the next federal election, said she’s “never liked the way our political culture gets addicted to polls” and expects future polls may well have different results.

Nonetheless, she’s happy with the results and said they reflect what she’s hearing during her door-knocking in the riding.

“I’m fascinated by the disconnect. There’s the media asking why I’m running against Gary Lunn and [saying] that I can’t win. But that’s not what I’m seeing and hearing and feeling from this community,” May said.

“For me, it’s much more important to know how people respond face to face than any set of poll numbers.”

May said people seem to want a change in the way politics are done in Ottawa and are tired of old school-parties that don’t seem capable of that.

The poll also found that the 11 per cent of people questioned were concerned about issues dealing with the environment, pollution and conservation.

Second to that was homelessness and poverty at 10.9 per cent, and then crime/public safety/drugs/ youth crime at 10.5 per cent.

The economy and jobs were at eight per cent.

The riding traditionally has a high voter turnout, averaging 73 to 74 per cent in the last few elections. This poll found that 76 per cent said they were definitely voting in the next federal election. Fifteen per cent they were “probably voting.”

Poll author Angus McAllister said the “probably voting” number “likely means that you are being a polite Canadian and not a committed voter with sufficient motivation to get off the couch on V-day.”

The telephone poll by McAllister Opinion Research in Vancouver polled 402 randomly selected adults in the riding between Aug. 21 and 25. A random sample of 405 would have a margin of error of plus or minus 4.8 per cent, 19 times out of 20.

It is the first poll done in the riding by the Greens since the Liberal and NDP candidates were nominated.

kwestad@tc.canwest.com

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